Easy Italian Macaroni Salad
Try a new fresh take on macaroni salad with this Easy Italian Macaroni Salad! A lighter side for macaroni salad makes a wonderful addition to any barbecue, picnic, or potluck. Great for meal planning too!
Italian Macaroni Salad
This Italian Macaroni Salad contains zesty lemon flavors with delicious textures from fresh crunchy celery, crisp red onions, fresh parsley, and elbow pasta. People often think that macaroni salads are loaded with fatty mayonnaise, and yes while some do, that’s not always the case. This salad is flavorful without all that mayo. For more delicious salads, try our Best Orzo Salad with Spinach and Easy Pasta Salad with Bocconcini.
Reasons we LOVE this Macaroni Salad…
- Our macaroni salad is very light and delicious tasting.
- It’s tossed with fresh lemon juice to give it a refreshing flavor, and only a touch of mayonnaise and a little cayenne pepper for some heat.
- You can Omit the mayo and use Greek yogurt in its place, it’s ideal for vegans!
- It’s nothing fancy, just a simple recipe with fresh flavors!
- Best of all it’s 42 calories per serving!
- A flavorful side dish, this easy Italian macaroni salad is so good, that even the kids will enjoy this one too!
- Our Italian Macaroni Salad is made with elbow pasta, but you can make it with any small, bite-size pasta of your choice.
Tips To Make it Perfect…
- The key to making a great macaroni salad is not to overcook the pasta.
- When making macaroni salad, it is best to undercook the pasta for about 1 minute or so (aka “al-dente” – which means tender to the bite) and drain well in a colander.
- Then toss it with a few fresh ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste, and chill for a least 30 minutes or more before serving. Easy-peasy!
- Like all salads, always taste the salad before serving it and adjust the seasonings and vinaigrette if you need to.
- Pasta salads tend to absorb most of their juices and vinaigrette while marinating; therefore, you may need to adjust and add additional vinaigrette to your preference.
- Finally, transfer the salad to a pretty serving bowl and serve.
Make it Your Own:
- add in a little extra virgin olive oil (1 or 2 tablespoons)
- omit the mayo and use Greek (low-fat) yogurt
- toss in thinly sliced carrots for a splash of color
- toss in sliced green onions, cherry tomatoes, and chopped peppers for texture
- add in additional fresh or dried herbs
- A great recipe that works well with gluten-free pasta too!
Great Salad for Barbecues
Macaroni salads are always welcomed at gatherings. They compliment just about anything you serve on the buffet including grilled meats and fish!
They stay fresh all week long, kept in the fridge. Add it to your meal plan and have it for lunch all week long. It’s great!
Try this one!
ENJOY!!
More Salad Recipes You’ll Enjoy!
- Crunchy Broccoli, Raisins and Walnut Salad
- Easy Caprese Skewers
- Best Broccoli Salad (Keto)
- Healthy Apple Bok Choy Salad
- Easy Italian Macaroni Salad
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Easy Italian Macaroni Salad
Easy Italian Macaroni Salad is made with fresh zesty lemon flavors and delicious textures from crisp celery, red onions, fresh parsley, and elbow pasta! A lighter side for this Italian Macaroni Salad makes a wonderful dish to serve chilled all summer long!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of elbow pasta
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 large lemon - juice ( about 1/4 cup)
- 4 Tbsp. mayonnaise ( or Greek Yogurt)
- 1 celery stalk - thinly sliced
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
- dash of cayenne pepper
- extra lemon, if needed
- optional: 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil over high heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the water. Then toss in 2 cups of elbow pasta and cook the pasta for 5 to 6 minutes. Do not overcook or it will ruin the salad. The pasta should be al-dente, which means a nice tender bite to it.
- Drain the pasta in a colander and let it sit in there for a minute to cool down.
- Next in a large mixing bowl, toss in the celery, red onion, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. and a dash of cayenne pepper. Then toss in the elbow pasta and fresh parsley, and stir until well combined.
- Taste the pasta salad and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
- Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.
- Just before serving, toss the salad and taste once more. If you feel it needs a little more lemon juice, squeeze an additional 1/2 of a lemon over the salad, toss and serve.
- Serves 4 to 6
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 servings Serving Size: 1/2 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 42Total Fat: 3.3gSaturated Fat: .05gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 72mgCarbohydrates: 3.1gFiber: .2gSugar: .9gProtein: .2g
Happy and Healthy Cooking! 🙂
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The only kind of macaroni salad I ever make is with tuna. I need to branch out a little 🙂 This sounds great and not high in calories either.
Ok then, this is a good reason to start with a new macaroni salad like this one! I think you will be very pleased with its flavors and textures. Thanks Susan! 🙂